Positioning jig for tube expander tool housing



Nov. 15, 1955 T. E. BURDEN POSITIONING JIG FOR TUBE EXPANDER TOOLHOUSING Filed July 51, 1952 IN V EN TOR.

THO/1H5 f. BUEDf/V QTTOEAFZYG United States Patent Ofiice 2,723,704Patented Nov. 15, 1955 2,723,104 I rosizrroismo'nororr TUBE EXIEA'NDER;TOOL HOUSINC? ThomasiEa Burden,.l2arma,.,0hio,.assignor to The Standard,Oil; Cmpany, Cleveland, Ohim; a: corporatronof OhioApplication-Julyfl'lg 1952, SerialNb. 302,012

4 Claims. (Cl. 153-82) In securing tubes in header boxes by rollerexpansion a manually controlled motor-driven roller is commonly used.Adequacy of union of the tube end with the header and uniformity ofresults from tube to tube depend upon the accuracy and effectiveness oflocating and holding the rolling instrument in the tube, and this factorhas been a 1 problem in such tube apparatus as oil conversion furnaces,boilers, heat exchangers and the like. The roller should be accuratelydirected but its control should not be made so completely mechanical asto take away from the operator the feel of the device as the rolling-inoperation proceeds. A skilled operator can judge the conditions andprogress in any instance particularly closely by the feel of the rollerhead in action. In the present invention this faculty is retained fullyavailable, but the operator is relieved of the laborious effort ofholding the roller against possibility of lateral jumping and deviation.And a construction is had which is compact, and is not over-complicated'Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said inventionthen comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularlypointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexeddrawing setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of theinvention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the variousways in which the principle of the invention may be employed.

In said annexed drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of construction in accordance 'with theinvention; and

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on a plane just above themembers 7 and 8 in Fig. 1.

With a header box and tubes to be united thereto, a guide or jig inconjunction with a motor-driven roller is assembled with and anchored tothe adjacent structure. In illustration, as applied to'an oil-heater,there is shown in the drawing a header box 2with tubes 3, the header boxbeing joined to and adjacent the heating furnace wall 4, the details ofthat structure being immaterial, and the tube roller with its mandrelhousing 5 and driving-motor 6 is positioned in a guide made up ofsupport members 7, 3 which are joined together by a hinge-type joint 9,and a third support member in the form preferably of a bolt as shown inthe drawing connects between the support members 7 and 8 and is in aposition against the tuberoller mandrel, all these three members thusbearing against and supporting the tool housing. The tube roller cage onthe end of the mandrel involves rollers usually somewhat coned, and ofdetail as desired and generally well known, and requiring no furtherdescription here. The support elements 7 and 8 are in turn anchored tothe adjacent structure, here the wall 4 of the furnace. For suchanchorage this wall is provided with lugs 11 which have openings or eyesin which angle-wise projections 12 of the ends of the members 7, 8 fit,the lugs 11 providing means in a series spaced to the tubes 3 to holdsaid angle -wis e Projections 12. The. tube. rollerimandrel" isthuspositioned between three supportv elements which are firmly inter-unitedandare anchored in compact relabox, 2 and fits against the furnacewallA,is of course removed for placement of the equipment in the tuberollingoperation. v

The operation of the, equipment is' readily understood from theforegoing. With the assemblage of the tube roller mandrel in itssupports 7, 8, 10 anchored'to the adjacent structure the operator by thehandles 14 holds the motordriven mandrel with its roller-cage inposition in the end of the tube to be rolled. And on completion of thattube, the support is moved around to the next and similarly anchored inthe provided lugs 11, and so on, e. g., by removing the bolt pin 10,lifting the support members 7, 8 to free their projections 12 from lugs11, and moving the supports 7, 8 around to the next tube and other lugson the furnace wall.

Other modes of applying the principle of the invention may be employed,change being made as regards the de tails described, provided thefeatures stated in any of the following claims, or the equivalent ofsuch, be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In means for positioning a rotary tool for rolling the end of a tubein a header adjacent an extending furnace casing, which tool has adriving motor with guide handles and a drive shaft mandrel housingprojecting from said motor with a tube-roller on said shaft, a holderpreventing the rotary tool from jumping which includes a guide in whichthe drive shaft mandrel housing is positioned for alignment with thetube to be rolled, having two support members between and against whichthe mandrel housing is located, a hinge-type joint connecting themembers for allowing easy placement and removal, a joining memberconnecting the support members and forming a third support against thedrive shaft mandrel housing, angle-wise projections on the free ends ofsaid support members, and eyeleted lugs on the adjacent furnace casingin a series spaced to the tubes to hold said angle-wise projections.

2. In means for positioning a rotary tool for rolling the end of a tubein a header adjacent an extending furnace casing, which tool has adriving motor with guide handles and a drive shaft mandrel housingprojecting from said motor with a tube-roller on said shaft, a holderpreventing the rotary tool from jumping which includes a guide in whichthe drive shaft mandrel housing is positioned for alignment with thetube to be rolled, having swingabiy connected support members betweenand against which the mandrel housing is located, a third supportagainst thedrive shaft mandrel housing and connecting the said supportmembers, angle-wise projections on the free ends of said supportingmembers, and eyeleted lugs on the adjacent furnace casing in a seriesspaced to the tubes to hold said angle-wise projections.

3. In means for positioning a rotary tool for rolling the end of a tubein a header adjacent an extending furnace casing, which tool has adriving motor with guide handles and a drive shaft mandrel housingprojecting from said motor with a tube-roller on said shaft, a holderpreventing the rotary tool from jumping which includes a guide in whichthe drive shaft mandrel housing is positioned for alignment with thetube to be rolled providing three support elements surrounding themandrel housing, two being joined by a hinge-like joint and the thirdconnecting between the said two support elements, and means on theadjacent furnace casing in a series spaced to the tubes to anchor thesaid two support elements.

4. In means for positioning a rotary tool for rolling the end of a tubein a header adjacent an extending furnace casing, which tool has adriving motor with guide handles and a drive shaft mandrel housingprojecting from said motor with a tube-roller on said shaft, a holderpreventing the rotary tool from jumping which includes a guide in whichthe drive shaft mandrel housing is positioned for alignment with thetube to be rolled, providing three support elements surrounding themandrel housing, two being adjustably connected by a joint at one endand the other connecting as the third support between the said twosupport elements, and means in a series spaced to the tubes for holdingthe other ends of the latter elements to the adjacent furnace casing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS McNairNov. 6, 1888 Connelly May 2, 1893 Faessler Sept. 6, 1904 Pearson Oct.29, 1907 Stanford Apr. 7, 1908 Noble May 19, 1914 Pilchcr Aug. 4, 1931Bence Sept. 13, 1932 Johnson Jan. 24, 1933 Grinninger Dec. 29, 1942Tormo Apr. 17, 1951

